The Last Outpost (1951)

Information from IMDB

Plot Summary
Two brothers who are not the best friends because they were fighting on different sides
during the Civil War have to cooperate in order to defend themselves against an attack of indians.
Written by Volker Boehm

Full Cast
Ronald Reagan ... Capt. Vance Britten
Rhonda Fleming ... Julie McQuade
Bruce Bennett ... Col. Jeb Britton
Bill Williams ... Sgt. Tucker
Noah Beery Jr. ... Sgt. Calhoun (as Noah Beery)
Peter Hansen ... Lt. Crosby
Hugh Beaumont ... Lt. Fenton
Lloyd Corrigan ... Mr. Delacourt
John Ridgely ... Sam McQuade
Charles Brunner ... Apache Indian / Victorio (uncredited)
James Burke ... Stagecoach Driver (uncredited)
Iron Eyes Cody ... Mangas Coloradas (uncredited)
Richard Crane ... Lt. McReady (uncredited)
Charles Evans ... Chief Grey Cloud (uncredited)
Terry Frost ... Confederate Corporal (uncredited)
Harold Goodwin ... Union Sergeant (uncredited)
Ewing Mitchell ... Maj. Riordan (uncredited)
Burt Mustin ... Marshal (uncredited)
John War Eagle ... Geronimo (uncredited)
Chief Yowlachie ... Cochise (uncredited)

Writing Credits
David Lang story
Daniel Mainwaring (as Geoffrey Homes)
Winston Miller
George Worthing Yates

Original Music
Lucien Cailliet

Cinematography
Loyal Griggs

Trivia
Ronald Reagan was a serious breeder of horses during this period of his career and insisted on riding his favorite mare in this film.

As the Indians were shot off of their horses, they were instructed to loop around the set, get back on different horses, and come back on as different Indians.

The producers of this movie, William H. Pine and William C. Thomas, were known in the industry as "The Dollar Bills" because they made movies so quickly and efficiently that their films seldom if ever lost money. This was their most expensive production to date, mainly because of its cast of higher-paid stars. It was also their biggest hit.

Burt Mustin's movie debut.

Filming Locations
Arizona, USA
General Service Studios - 1040 N. Las Palmas, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
Old Tucson - 201 S. Kinney Road, Tucson, Arizona, USA
San Xavier del Bac Mission - 1950 W. San Xavier Rd, Tucson, Arizona, USA
near, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Watch the Trailer

[extendedmedia]

The Last Outpost is a 1951 Technicolor film Western directed by Lewis R. Foster,
set in the American Civil War with brothers on opposite sides.
The cast includes Ronald Reagan.

The film earned an estimated $1,225,000 at the US box office in 1951.
The Last Outpost had the distinction of being the most successful film
for the prolific B movie company, Pine-Thomas Productions.
The film was re-released in 1962 under the title Cavalry Charge.

User Review

Quote

His Own Horse
24 March 2012 | by bkoganbing (Buffalo, New York)

Ronald Reagan's first starring western occurred in 1951 when he did this horse opera for the Pine-Thomas Paramount B picture unit. Reagan was always a good rider and would have loved to do more westerns in his career. But according to the Citadel Film series book on The Films of Ronald Reagan the real clincher for him okaying the Pine-Thomas deal was a chance to ride his own horse in the film. So Reagan's horse which was named Tarbaby got some screen immortality.

The Last Outpost casts Reagan and Bruce Bennett who are brothers and who have split their loyalties during the Civil War. Fate has brought them together in the west with Bennett taking command of a Federal outpost in Arizona territory to deal with a band of pesky Confederate raiders. Little does Bennett know that Reagan is commanding those raiders and little does Reagan know that the girl he left behind played by Rhonda Fleming is out west and unhappily married to trading post owner John Ridgely.

Ridgely gets killed early on in the film, but not before he sets in motion a plan whereby he will be legally allowed to sell whiskey and arms to the Apaches in exchange for them just taking out the men in gray. In fact Lloyd Corrigan has come east as a member of the government to implement said plan. Reagan refers to him as 'the expediter' and he's the kind of government bureaucrat Reagan would make fun of when he later got into politics.

Bennett is the solid dependable brother, but Reagan invests his part with a certain dash and rakish charm which if you didn't know better you would swear was coming from Errol Flynn. But the most interesting role came from actor Charles Evans playing Apache Chief Grey Cloud who is a disgraced former American general who left the army because his society wouldn't accept the Apache woman he married. Evans really makes his few scenes count and I wish we had seen more of him.

The Last Outpost is a solidly entertaining western with the cast giving fitted performances in the roles they are doing.

Display More